Nothing says Summer like a chilled bowl of garden fresh Gazpacho soup. I like to take this classic Mediterranean bowl and twist it with a few citrusy tomatillos and lots of fresh, chopped basil.
Chunks of diced avocado when serving makes the bowl even heartier. A great side dish with grilled swordfish lightly covered in olive oil and lemon juice (and zest!) and dusted with cumin, coriander and paprika. Grill five minutes on side A and maybe 4 on Side B and you’re good to go!
Ingredients
8 handball sized tomatoes
1 persian cucumber
1 green (or red) bell pepper
1 jalapeno
2-3 tomatillos, roasted
1 lime, juiced
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T worcestershire sauce
1 t cumin
Several glugs of olive oil
A few leaves fresh basil (save some for topping)
Salt & pepper (garlic salt as well)
Avocado, diced (for serving)
Boil enough water to cover the toms. Make an X incision in the bottom of each tom, just lightly enough to scratch thru the skin. Place the toms in the boiling water for maybe 20 seconds. Remove as soon as you see the skin starting to remove itself and curl.
Immediately put toms into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
In the meantime, roast the shucked tomatillos in a toaster oven on broil just until the skins start to turn brown. Maybe 5 minutes.
When the toms are cool enough to touch, remove the skins. Cut the tomatoes and remove as much of the pulp as possible. Then chop each into reasonable chunks.
Working in batches, place the tom chunks into the blender and use the puree setting until liquified. Now add in all the other elements.
Now add the other veges and spices. Blend until smooth. If it’s too runny, add more oil.
Place in the fridge for a good hour (the longer, the better).
Serve with the diced avocado chunks and the chiffonade basil.